6 watt amp for $1300?????

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

I had a Decware amp that ended up being somewhere around $300/watt. Was a 2 watt EL84 design, single ended. The amps I use now are 8 watts per side (my avatar is one of the output triodes).

As mentioned before, if you have high efficiency speakers, there's really nothing like it. It's amazing how little really goes into these kind of amps - no circuit boards, all hand-wired. 100% Class A, all the time. You think your Class A/B is inefficient? How about efficiencies around 20% //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

There are amps out there that are 1.5 watts per channel, and people swear by them for Tractrix midrange horns and other stuff in the 110dB/W range.

Only thing I am going to say is, We wonder why our economy is the way it is. People questioning things like you are has forced all our jobs into other countries so is can be built cheaper, then we ask why is unemployment up, why can Americans not find a job, or get paid a fair wage. Seriously slap yourself in the face.

I know more tube amp manufacturers based in the US than 12V ones could hope for //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif Decware, Bottlehead, Quicksilver, Deja Vu, Cary...all built right here.

 

[AllDayMJ 10+ year member]

quality not quantity..overpriced, but its pure unaltered sound..

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

I see the Squeakster in here...//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/hide.gif.2d479cfd917eedfe201353b91522ceab.gif

 

[bds0688 10+ year member]

I had a Decware amp that ended up being somewhere around $300/watt. Was a 2 watt EL84 design, single ended. The amps I use now are 8 watts per side (my avatar is one of the output triodes).
As mentioned before, if you have high efficiency speakers, there's really nothing like it. It's amazing how little really goes into these kind of amps - no circuit boards, all hand-wired. 100% Class A, all the time. You think your Class A/B is inefficient? How about efficiencies around 20% //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

There are amps out there that are 1.5 watts per channel, and people swear by them for Tractrix midrange horns and other stuff in the 110dB/W range.

I know more tube amp manufacturers based in the US than 12V ones could hope for //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif Decware, Bottlehead, Quicksilver, Deja Vu, Cary...all built right here.

If they're built well and serve a purpose, I don't see them as that overpriced. As someone else joked, they're nowhere near audio snob grade. Plus you have to think of how much energy goes into just making heat on most speakers as opposed to sound. 6 watts on some uber sensitive and efficient driver/box, I could see the uses.

And they do look sexy.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

quality not quantity..overpriced, but its pure unaltered sound..

Unaltered //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif

Tubes have the following they do because they alter the sound in manor found to be subjectively "pleasing".

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

I see the Squeakster in here...//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/hide.gif.2d479cfd917eedfe201353b91522ceab.gif

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/cool.gif.3bcaf8f141236c00f8044d07150e34f7.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/moon.gif.9d317aec3339ffe7fde0638df52c628a.gif

 

[DBfan187 5,000+ posts]

+1 for the squeakmiester!

 

[alvitae 10+ year member]

Perfect match for these speakers.

http://thinkorthwim.com/2007/12/05/giant-horn-speakers/

 

[edzy 10+ year member]

My buddy has something like that. He got it in a kit form and put it together. It does sound badass. and as stated, power is not everything.

 

[edzy 10+ year member]

btw, these cost about that each new. Nak PA-301's

 

[joetama 5,000+ posts]

See my big reason I've never gone tube is because I would have to have one of those 100 Watt tube amps costing as much as a house...

I think a WAVAC HE-833 would do.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Nah, I think you could build one of those 833A SET's for $2k in parts //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

B+ voltages that high start to scare me though....2kV or so //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[joetama 5,000+ posts]

I have no fear of high voltage... Ok... Really, I respect it enough to have some fear.

I'm happy with my +- 80 VDC MOS-FETS. It always makes my heart race when I'm trouble shooting and the old meter is reading 160VDC.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

The 811's are 500VDC, enough to give me pause turning it on the first time...hopefully had the caps sized right //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[Nevergo 10+ year member]

That would go good with my silver iris. Anyone want to buy it for me?//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif

http://www.hawthorneaudio.com/drivers.htm